During his 43 years in education, Josiah “Josh” Hibberd influenced the lives of thousands of students. Even in death, which came in September at 86, Hibberd will be able to reach a new generation of students.

As per Hibberd’s wishes, on Saturday, William H. Bunch Auctions and Appraisals in Chadds Ford will auction the majority of his large and diverse collection that filled two side-by-side homes in West Chester.

The auction will be completed on Feb. 19, and the proceeds will establish a college scholarship fund, to be administered by the Chester County Community Foundation, or CCCF.

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CCCF President and CEO Karen Simmons said the estimated value of Hibberd’s estate is around $1.5 million, and that 5 percent of the total, or around $75,000, will be given out each year to either one or multiple Great Valley High School seniors committed to the pursuit of a teaching degree.

For Simmons, Hibberd’s final wish was one she learned about second-hand a decade ago.

“When I got here 10 years ago, I was told by one of our board members that there was this man that had two houses full of Civil War memorabilia, and that he would leave his entire estate to a scholarship fund with us if we didn’t bother him,” Simmons said. “So, we didn’t bother him.”

Great Valley School District Business Manager Chuck Linderman knew about Hibberd’s plan a decade before Simmons, when he met with him prior to his retirement in 1993. Linderman said Hibberd was beloved in large part due to how much time he put into the schools where he worked, and the over 5,700 field trips he led.

“All of the kids liked him, and he did a lot of stuff with them,” Linderman said. “I think he went to every event.”

After serving in World War II for 4˝ years, Hibberd got his teaching degree from West Chester University. His career included 28 years at Malvern Elementary prior to its closing in the early-1980s, as a teacher and principal. Linderman recalled a story about when two new administrators came to the school to meet him for the first time following the district’s formation in 1969.

“They went into the gym, and there was a guy with a tie talking to some kids, and there was a guy with a white, untucked shirt pushing a push-broom,” Linderman said. “They went up to the guy with the tie, but that was the custodian. Josh was the other guy.

“If you caught him in the morning, he might have his tie on, loosened a bit. By the end of the day, the tie was gone, and his shirt was usually out.”

Hibberd spent two years at Sugartown Elementary before capping his career with a 10-year stay at General Wayne Middle School. After retirement, he continued to head intramural sports programs.

Linderman said money and possessions didn’t mean much to Hibberd, except for the articles that will be auctioned off starting Saturday.

“He didn’t care about material stuff outside of what he collected,” Linderman said. “If we made a mistake on his paycheck, he never cared. He never would even notice. I don’t think he ever looked at his paycheck.”

The Hibberd scholarship will be named after his mother, Margeretta, who died while he was overseas in WWII. The estate auction will include a massive lot of collectibles, including antique military items, as well as furniture, clocks, record players, books, fine art and historic autographs.

Complete auction details are available at www.williambunchauctions.com.